Confetti
by SuperlustrousRainstorm
Summary: Happy snapshots from the shared childhood of Azula and Ty Lee for #TyzulaTuesday.
1. Chapter 1

CONFETTI

* * *

 _DRY_

* * *

They're eleven and it's a dry summer.

"My lips are awful," Ty Lee whines while rubbing them.

Azula doesn't mention that that will make it worse. "Well, you could just take better _care_ of yours. Mine are silky smooth."

Ty Lee doesn't mention that Azula has a _staff_ to do that for her. She just sighs a dreamy sigh.

"Do you want to feel?" Ty Lee dares to ask and Azula looks uninterested.

But, "Fine," the princess says, holding up one hand.

She misinterpreted that, because the next thing she feels is dry lips against her silky smooth ones.


	2. Chapter 2

_LIPSTICK_

* * *

Ty Lee combs Azula's hair. The princess kind of like a doll. Ty Lee would never offend her by saying that out loud. She loves feeling sunshine with Azula's heat close to hers.

"You aren't as bad as this as I thought," Azula says, her eyes focused on the mirror.

"You didn't have as many

She dabs lipstick on her finger and touches it to Azula's lips. Azula is unfazed but Ty Lee's hands tremble.

They shake so hard from the sparks she feels.

The princess yanks it away from Ty Lee after a mistake.

"You are worse at _this_ than I thought."

Ty Lee's stomach twists up in knots.

She hates crushes.


	3. Chapter 3

_LACE_

* * *

"Why do you know how to sew?" Azula demanded. Ty Lee shrugged with a soft _iono_. "You must _know_. How could you not know?"

The princess's patience is tried. Ty Lee's is not.

"I just learned one day," Ty Lee says. Azula cannot believe this nonsense.

"Tell me. I am not going to get mad," the princess says sweetly, coaxing the words from her best friend.

"My mom taught me how to make nice stuff. She was a clothing merchant," Ty Lee explains.

"Why was that so hard?" Azula sighs.

"I didn't want you to think about…" Ty Lee blushes. She didn't want Azula to think about her parent's quasi-peasant past.

"About the fact that your mother sold clothes? Why would I care? Now fix this lace, will you?"


	4. Chapter 4

_HEARTS_

* * *

Ty Lee held Azula super tight.

Azula usually would not allow that, but Ty Lee was leaving for the circus tomorrow and the princess took pity on her. It was late at night and the summer smelled like mud, a scent that crept through the ajar bedroom window.

"I'm never letting go!" Ty Lee said ferociously.

"Then don't leave." Azula pushed Ty Lee away. If she felt that way, perhaps she should have reassessed her dreams and priorities.

"I have to," Ty Lee said, grabbing Azula's hands. That was too far and Azula pulled away.

"You don't have to," Azula said, but she didn't press the matter.

That night, they lay on Azula's bed like they did a thousand times before, but right then, Ty Lee was listening to Azula's heartbeat. She wished she had paid more attention to it in the past, because it was a beautiful thing.

Ty Lee was leaving her heart in Caldera and going to find a new one elsewhere.

That felt so dumb when she felt Azula's breath beside her.

But tonight was sweet and happy and they were together for it.


	5. Chapter 5

_MARATHON_

* * *

When they raced as young girls, Ty Lee always let Azula win. She did with most competitions or games, to be honest, but the running was the most convincing. Ty Lee could pretend to suck at running and Azula just _had_ to believe her, or so she thought.

It seemed to be a secret until today. They rested in the shade after a very long race that made Ty Lee want to cry.

"Who told you to let me win every time?" Azula demanded, crossing her arms and promptly pouting.

"I did," Ty Lee said honestly. "I don't _want_ to beat you. I'd way rather see you happy than win! You're so pretty when you're happy. I mean, you're pretty all the time but you're like more radiant than usual when you destroy other people at competitions and—"

Azula clamps her sweaty hand over Ty Lee's mouth.

The princess thought about how she should react for a moment.

"Fair enough," she said, sighing and setting Ty Lee's mouth free to grin in broad daylight.


	6. Chapter 6

_BLOOM_

* * *

Azula gave Ty Lee flowers when her feelings were first blooming. Or _their_ feelings, maybe.

They were walking through the gardens on a hot summer afternoon.

It was not the sweetest of gestures, but Azula was never so good at sweet. She heard that this was what you were supposed to do for girls, so she started casually picking them while Ty Lee droned cheerily on and on about things Azula did not care about.

"Oh, those are nice!" Ty Lee said and Azula lost it. Whatever had possessed her to try to be romantic fled, leaving only the cold, hollow ember that Azula was.

"I think they're hideous. That's why I was picking them. You can have them if you like eyesores so much," Azula said.

Ty Lee nodded. "Thank you!"

 _Crisis averted_ , Azula thought.


	7. Chapter 7

_FRANTIC_

* * *

"He's gonna be so mad! Why am I holding it?" Ty Lee screamed as she frantically followed Azula down the palace corridors. "WHY AM I HOLDING IT?"

"Because _you_ stole it, of course!" Azula shouted, laughing.

"You stole it!" Ty Lee shrieked, neglecting the fact that Azula was royalty and she was not. "I'm gonna get killed for you!"

Azula stopped her frantic skittering and slipped into a dusty closet, beckoning for Ty Lee to follow. Ty Lee slid inside with Zuko's stupid knife in her hands. Maybe he would not notice. Ty Lee certainly hoped for that, because she knew Azula would use her as a scapegoat.

"Wouldn't you die for me, though?" Azula purred so prettily. Ty Lee averted her eyes.

"Yeah, but I don't want to die this young! I wanna grow up and get married and have a future and all that. But I would die for you."

Azula hesitates.

"I do have an excellent sense of self-preservation, so I can't say I'd die for anyone. But I don't want you to die, and I will hold the knife if you're so scared." Azula extended a hand. "I am not afraid of ZuZu, but you apparently are for some reason."

Ty Lee hands Azula the knife and smiles in the darkness.

That was kinda sweet.


	8. Chapter 8

_PARCHMENT_

* * *

"It's super easy," Ty Lee squeaked as she failed repeatedly at doing it. She wa _s huffing_ and _puffing_ through her words.

Azula probably should have offered to help, but she didn't feel like it. She felt like watching as Ty Lee tried to make a paper bird capable of flight. The parchment was wrinkled and torn from an ancient book. It was likely not chosen by Azula's ancestors for its aerodynamic potential.

"Keep trying. I know you can do it," Azula lied. She smirked, and Ty Lee took it as grand encouragement.

"You're the best girlfriend ever! I mean friend."

That was as far from subtle as a person could get, but the girl tearing a priceless artifact to bits to try to make a paper bird didn't even know the meaning of subtle.

"I would accept either," Azula replied.

Now _she_ was subtle.

Especially about how much she was enjoying watching her fr— _girlfriend_ suffer.


	9. Chapter 9

_DADDY_

* * *

"I am in love with her," said Ozai's ten-year-old daughter.

He was not prepared to hear that today. What father would be? The only way that sentence could possibly be worse would be if she said _I am in love with_ _ **him**_.

"Who?" he calmly asked. Or at least as calmly as he _could_ ask.

"I can't tell. She doesn't like me back. Oh, but she will. I will force her to like me back," Azula said.

She was a cute child who sometimes behaved like a miniature tyrant. He supposed he raised her well, and extracted that small comfort.


	10. Chapter 10

_GOODBYE_

* * *

Azula resorted to many methods of coercion to prevent Ty Lee from going home after playdates.

She hated the idea of her friend leaving, and when they were children, they did everything in their power to stay together. When they were older, they couldn't continue it. At twelve, father kicked Ty Lee out and Azula would bring shame on herself if she argued. The expectations of soldiers in training were harsh; they could not act like children anymore.

Yet, right now, Azula was opening her bedroom window and inviting her returning friend inside.

"I think that's record time," Azula said, smirking.


	11. Chapter 11

_ISLAND_

* * *

Ty Lee built a gorgeous sandcastle.

It was her last trip with Azula to Ember Island until she was much older. It was before Ursa left and Azulon died and Ozai put his daughter on a leash tight enough to suffocate her.

"I want to live here with you," Ty Lee said. Azula didn't give a reaction. "We could rule the whole world from this really pretty fortress that's just as pretty as us and nobody could stop us."

"Why not?" Azula asked, putting out the fire she was about to destroy the sandcastle with.

"Because we'd rule the world, of course! Who could stop the rulers of the whole world?"

"I can see myself ruling the world. Not you."

"Oh, you'd do the ruling. I'd just marry you or something because ruling the world alone would be way too lonely, don't you think?"

"Yeah. Maybe." Azula really didn't know.

She didn't know anything other than the fact she spared the sandcastle.


	12. Chapter 12

_SKY_

* * *

"You know too many animals," Azula said lazily.

They were older than young but younger than old, and schools closed in the Fire Nation during the hottest days of the year. Those days were _hot_ , as the name of the country implies.

So, Ty Lee and Azula lay in a crystalline fountain. Ty Lee supported Azula's back with one hand as she labeled every cloud in the sky.

"I love animals. I'd love to have a menagerie."

"Menagerie?"

"Like a zoo or a circus or something."

"Big word for you," Azula remarked.

"Oh! Oh! A spider-cat!"

Azula didn't see it.


	13. Chapter 13

_LETHAL_

* * *

"Ty Lee, don't touch that! How stupid are you?" Azula could not believe how _passionate_ she was about smacking berries out of her best friend's hand.

When their hands touched, there was a weird jolt Azula felt. She usually thought about it too much when they touched, but right now she was stunned by her own panic.

"What? What did I do?" Ty Lee whined, shaking her hand. Azula could hit _hard_. She always hit hard.

"Those are poisonous. Don't just eat things you find in the woods," Azula snapped. Her voice shook. "You can die doing idiotic things like that."

Why did she care if Ty Lee lived or died? Why did the berries terrify her? Why did that thought revolt her to the core?

Azula didn't care about people like that, and so she glared at Ty Lee and continued walking.

Ty Lee felt her heart flutter. Azula was actually scared, and Ty Lee had never seen her scared before.

This school field trip was super weird.


	14. Chapter 14

_Failure_

* * *

"Like this." Ty Lee swung down from her sitting position on the branch to hang from her knees.

Azula leaned against the trunk and observed; it looked extremely easy.

Mai called up from the ground, "You'll break your neck."

"No, she won't. Stop being such a _downer_ ," Ty Lee snapped, and Azula crawled across the branch.

Mai sighed and corrected herself: "Maybe she'll just break her leg. Optimistic enough for you?"

"I will not break anything," Azula said, aligning herself. "This is easy. If _she_ can do it, I can."

She swings down, and does not break anything. Until she starts to fall, and Mai waits, and Ty Lee lunges out to stop Azula from breaking her neck or leg, and Ty Lee hits the ground.

 _Crash_. Yelp.

Azula looked down at the girl who just rescued her, unimpressed. She turned to Mai while still dangling from the tree.

"You were wrong. Ty Lee fell and broke a limb. Ha."

Ty Lee does not know why she does this kind of thing for Azula.

Something about how she makes her feel so much happier than usual, even when she is biting on her lip to hold back her tears of pain.


	15. Chapter 15

_HEROES_

* * *

Ty Lee had a swing out on the water.

When you were on it, your feet brushed against the surface of the sea.

Azula did not care that she was so near her opposing element. Her statement as she walked out towards it was, "It isn't like I'm ever going to drown. I'm better than that."

The first time, Ty Lee was thrilled.

"We should play something awesome. We can use fire without burning anything down," Ty Lee said, beaming.

"You're right," Azula said and Ty Lee smiled brighter. "I'm thinking something about grand heroes, because it definitely uses the most fire of it all, right?"

"Right. And I'll be the villain, I guess, probably." Azula got her way, and Azula wanted to be some Fire Nation hero conquering Ba Sing Se.

Ty Lee tended to be the leader of the Earth Kingdom army. It was something she accepted, because Azula made an incredible hero.

They stood and spun and swung on the swing as Ty Lee was captivated by the nimbleness, strength and pretty impressive creativity of her hero.


	16. Chapter 16

_FAST_

* * *

"This is a really, really bad idea!" Ty Lee shouted. That didn't stop her from following through with it.

She slid on her shoes across the thin layer of ice. Ty Lee had never seen anything like this before, and neither had Azula, and Mai hated it already. The trip to the mountains was a super good idea.

"I agree with you," Azula said, but she beckoned for Ty Lee to continue.

Ty Lee slid forward as fast as she could and then fell back. It was _supposed_ to be an easy trick that someone with her training could execute, but the minute she slid between Azula's feet, she fell on her back and Azula tumbled onto the ice.

"I'm so sorry!" Ty Lee said, sitting up and examining the scrapes on her own hands.

Azula stared up at her and Ty Lee felt pretty terrified, before she started laughing.

Ty Lee blushed and couldn't help but laugh too.


	17. Chapter 17

_TOYS_

* * *

"I will never find it and I'm so sad and I will never be happy again!" Ty Lee declared, and she _meant it_. Or at least thought she meant it in her state of grief.

Azula stood over her, uncertain what to do. Mostly because she had the toy Ty Lee spent going on four hours looking for in her possession, but also because Ty Lee was a puddle of agony in the courtyard and it was very pathetic and depressing. She _could_ say something comforting, but she opted for what felt like the right thing to do.

"I am certain you will find it," Azula said, although she knew that was not true.

"You really think so?"

"Do not make any sudden movements."

"Why?"

"Because your braid is on top of a honey-wasp nest." It wasn't, but Azula had to get that toy somehow. Or at least distract Ty Lee permanently.

" _What_?" Ty Lee shrieked.

"Also do not yell. I would recommend staying very, very still."

"Save me! I mean," and she began to whisper, "save me."

"Well, since I am extremely heroic and one day will do stuff like conquer Ba Sing Se and feed orphans, I will rescue you. You will lose half of your braid, but you won't get stung to death, so I think that's fair."

"No! No! I'd rather get stung to death!" Ty Lee announced and Azula could not ask for a better situation.

"You have such well-organized priorities," Azula sarcastically said through her teeth.

"Thank you," Ty Lee softly gushed.

Azula had no idea why she liked this girl so much. "I will go search for that ridiculous toy instead. You stay very still right here."

"How do I know you'll come back?"

"Because I would be sad if you died."

' "Really? That's like the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me!"

"I'm sorry."

Azula sighed and went to go get the toy from her closet.


	18. Chapter 18

_CAREGIVER_

* * *

"The forest is super scary," said Ty Lee.

She didn't like it at all out here, but she wasn't going to directly say that. It would probably ruin her friendship… her kind of more than friendship. She wanted to look good in front of her crush, but she also wanted to run away from the trees enclosing her in the dark night.

The crescent moon was above. It was scarier than the full moon to Ty Lee.

"Why?" Azula asked.

"The sky is scary too," Ty Lee whispered. "It's too dark with the moon so small."

"Oh, you want it dark. The lighter it is, the easier it is for the predators to see you."

"What predators?" Ty Lee whispered. She was _really_ scared now.

"Too many to list," Azula said, smirking. Ty Lee grabbed her and she almost fell over.

"I'm sorry but this is freaking me out so much and you can burn down the forest if we get in trouble," Ty Lee said softly.

"You think that if we get in trouble, I should start a forest fire?" Azula asked. "Sounds reasonable to me. I am a fantastic protector if the only criteria is burning down forests."

"Would we die in the fire though?" Ty Lee asked, not loosening her grip on the princess.

" _I_ wouldn't," Azula replied.

Ty Lee quietly laughed.

Azula did make her feel safe and cared for somehow.


	19. Chapter 19

_ORANGE_

* * *

Ty Lee was designed for her. Azula could reject her, but how could she? Ty Lee was trained for her. Azula could hurt her, but how could she?

This would have to work. Ty Lee would die if their relationship did not work. She would absolutely die.

Azula pulled apart an orange and dissected its inside with her smooth, shiny fingernails. They became tarnished from the zest. She let the peel rest on the grass to rot. When she bit the wedge, the juice burned her lips.

"Hey, princess," Ty Lee said.

"Yes?"

Ty Lee's pulse raced and she changed her mind. She could not tell Azula how she felt. Nope.

"Can I have a part of that orange?" Ty Lee asked instead of her declaration of love.

"No."


	20. Chapter 20

_THIEF_

* * *

Ty Lee got golden eyeshadow powder from her mother. It was so pretty and usually only reserved for the most grandiose of occasions. She carried it around with her and dabbed it on her eyes and felt herself glitter brighter than her vibrant aura.

Azula watched with her jaw clenched. Ty Lee looked stunning in that make-up, and Azula needed that to _stop_.

She thought that it made Ty Lee overshadow her. People noticed _her_ instead of the _princess_ and that drove Azula mad. Not to mention how nervous Azula's feelings made her; the princess could not take her eyes off of her crush.

Her admitted crush. The crush she did not want. The crush she tried to forget that she had.

And so Azula stole the eyeshadow and hid it.

What else was she supposed to do?


	21. Chapter 21

_BEGINNER_

* * *

Ty Lee decided to accept an offer that would change her life.

The princess was the one who asked, the one who was twelve but better at pulling strings than someone who was twenty. It was a request for Ty Lee to learn specific martial arts for reasons Ty Lee at first did not get. She didn't mind fighting, but she did not see it in her future either.

Azula knew that they would be broken apart by the training Ozai wanted for her. That was why she demanded Ty Lee to learn.

That was the single sweetest thing anyone had ever done for Ty Lee.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes…" she chirped.

It was a small sign of love, but enough for Ty Lee to go on.


	22. Chapter 22

_BLINDFOLD_

* * *

Azula led Ty Lee through the courtyard with a smirk. Mai tried not to laugh, because she found it extremely funny. Then again, Ty Lee was rather successful at not running into things while blindfolded.

"I'm gonna hit a wall," Ty Lee says.

"No," Azula lies. "Of course you aren't. Mai and I would not lead you into a wall."

Ty Lee lowers her arms and quickly crashes. She falls backwards with surprising force. Azula looks down as Ty Lee tears the blindfold from her face and eyes her bruises.

"That was super funny, princess," Ty Lee lies.

"I know. I am _hysterical_." Azula smirks.

Ty Lee has to admit she likes how her heart flutters, even when her head hurts.


	23. Chapter 23

_ANATOMY_

* * *

"Why do we have to learn about what parts of a platypus bear are called anyway? When am I ever gonna need this?" Ty Lee complained, tossing her homework to the floor and burying her face in Azula's pillows.

Azula smirked at her from across the room.

"Are you asking me to do your homework for you?" Azula inquired and Ty Lee slowly sat up.

She smiled coyly.

"Yeeessss. Please, princess," Ty Lee knelt on the bed, begging on her hands and knees. Azula could not deny that.

"I will do your homework for a small price," Azula said, picking up the parchment decorated with a diagram.

"Anything," Ty Lee said eagerly, leaning closer.

"Kiss me," Azula said and Ty Lee laughed.

Azula lifted a burning hand towards the assignment and Ty Lee dove at her.

"I'm laughing because that doesn't seem like a price. It seems so fun," Ty Lee said.

Azula quelled the flames on her hand and waited for Ty Lee to kiss her.

Hesitantly, the girl kissed the other girl and all was well.


	24. Chapter 24

_ILLNESS_

* * *

"I hope you feel better," said Ty Lee, holding out a cup of tea.

She made it herself, but she would never tell Azula that. Making your own tea was not acceptable for the best friend of a princess. Maybe more than a friend if Ty Lee had the opportunity. Maybe Azula being sick was one of those.

Princess Azula tasted the tea and Ty Lee let herself become hopeful. That was stupid. Never be hopeful about anything involving Azula.

"This tea is terrible," said the princess, before ordering, "Go get me something else."

"Right away. I'm at your service while you're sick."

"You're always at my service, even when I'm healthy."

"Right. In sickness and in health."

Ty Lee bolted out of the room at that.


	25. Chapter 25

_PAINT_

* * *

"Finger-painting can be fun," said a ten-year-old Ty Lee, holding up her stained hands. "You said to choose our activity."

"Yes. I also said that I would have the final say, and my final say is _no_ ," Azula replied, derisively eyeing the wasted parchment.

"I just thought because you were tense that I could try to un-tense you," Ty Lee said, looking ashamed.

Azula took pity on her, as a generous and beautiful and perfect royal.

"I will tell you what to finger-paint. Then we are both doing the activity together," Azula announced and Ty Lee giddily clapped.

"We are gonna have so much fun." She hugged Azula tightly.

Azula looked away so Ty Lee could not see her blush.


	26. Chapter 26

_COMBINATION_

* * *

"I'm never gonna pass. Azula, I'm never gonna graduate and then what?" Ty Lee looked panicked. They were a few short days away from completing their education and were required to take a comprehensive test on math, Fire Nation history and the likes.

"I will help you, because I am so kind and generous and sweet," Azula said, mixing ink in a stone bowl. It was not gold, like most things Azula owned. "With our combined skills, we can do anything. Like in combat, but, this time, in math."

"I'd rather fight every soldier in the Earth Kingdom than take a math test!" Ty Lee looked about to cry.

She threw herself into Azula's arms.

The princess froze, but let the hug happen.

"I was lying about our combined skills. You cannot even fathom how much smarter I am than you," Azula whispered.

Ty Lee inexplicably tightened the embrace.


	27. Chapter 27

_TROPICAL_

* * *

"I found a starfish!" Ty Lee squealed, reaching down to pick it up.

"No, no, no, Ty Lee!" Azula grabbed her hand just in time. Ty Lee looked at her like she was crazy. "They stick to your hand. Mai would have to sever off its limbs if you picked it up."

Ty Lee's jaw dropped. She stared down at the starfish and mouthed an apology.

Azula released her and sat down on the other side of the tide pool. Ty Lee finally turned away from the echinoderm and met the golden gaze of the princess.

"You saved me," Ty Lee said, smiling as brightly as the hot sun above.

"So what?" Azula stood up and fled the scene.

Ty Lee smiled to herself.


	28. Chapter 28

_CHARITY_

* * *

"Maybe I'm not really friends with you," Azula said, smirking. She sat down on the rock behind her and stared down at a now-nervous Ty Lee. "Maybe I'm just being charitable. Who else would befriend you but me?"

"Well, that's really sweet and generous of you then, princess," Ty Lee replied despite her anxiety. She wanted Azula to be real friends with her. She wanted Azula to _love_ her, and maybe kiss her beneath the rising sun one day.

"Of course it is. Being royal requires being charitable to those so much lesser than us," Azula answered and Ty Lee gazed at the grass.

Azula did not tell her that she was only saying it to cover up the blooming feelings in her chest. Ty Lee had to think that she was as meaningless as a grain of sand, because that might help Azula convince herself of the same thing.

It wasn't true. Azula couldn't hide from the fact that Ty Lee was important to her.


	29. Chapter 29

_SCHOOL_

* * *

It was the first day of school.

Azula was nervous. She hated the idea of being _scared_. Her grandfather and father said that fear was for the weak, and her mother said it was natural to be afraid. Therefore, Azula refused to show her nerves at all costs.

Even when she had to lie down on the floor and stare at the ceiling and try to take deep breaths, she pretended that all was well.

Her mother had to drag her from the palace. She was running out of lies by the time she ended up at school.

People stared at her. Why would they not? She was a princess and they were all pathetic nobles. None of them approached her out of their own fear, and Azula tried to take it as a compliment. She _liked_ being scary, even if she did not like walking alone.

A girl came up to her before they began class. She smiled…

And _hugged_ Azula. The princess thought she might burn her, but she met the eyes of the girl with the braid.

"Let's be best friends," said the stranger.

Azula had no response to that.

She just shrugged and nodded.


	30. Chapter 30

_CORPSE_

* * *

Azula and Ty Lee found something terrifying in the woods one day.

It scared Ty Lee, at least, but Azula was transfixed. The corpse lying there had no story around it but Azula thought up a thousand intriguing ideas of how it could have ended up in the middle of nowhere.

When she leaned down to observe it and Ty Lee fought the urge to run away, she saw the stab wounds.

"Someone killed him," Azula whispered, smirking. She was eager to examine it further.

Her silky hands and manicured fingernails touched the grey flesh. Ty Lee felt very queasy.

She always wanted to hold hands with Azula, but she did not think she wanted to much after this.

Azula smiled at the corpse with a loving fascination.

Ty Lee wished Azula would smile at her like that.


	31. Chapter 31

_NYCTOPHOBIA_

* * *

Even at eleven, Ty Lee is scared of the dark. She has always been very open about it.

"I like it when the sun is out and that's it," Ty Lee says, squeezing her eyes shut.

"So do I, but I am mature and sleep in the dark," replies Azula, tugging her covers up.

Ty Lee holds her breath for a moment. Nothing helps.

She reaches over and grabs Azula's hand.

That helps.


	32. Chapter 32

_PALACE_

* * *

"Does she live here now?" asked Fire Lord Ozai, pointing at Ty Lee as she pranced away.

Azula looked up at him. He had not spoken to her much in the past weeks since her mother left and he ascended to the throne. She wondered if he forgot about her; she felt like she might as well have been Zuko.

Ty Lee took it upon herself to keep Azula occupied, and Azula appreciated it without stooping so low as to say thank you. It was _Ty Lee's_ privilege and joy to serve Azula, not the other way around, of course.

"I don't know," Azula said, forgetting about articulation. She was taken off guard by her father speaking to her so bluntly. "She's been around me a lot more than usual."

"Oh." He did not seem to care much.

He left and Azula looked over her shoulder. She felt alone in the gigantic palace for a few moments, before footsteps skittered around the corner and Ty Lee peeked out from behind the wall.

"I got your bed ready for you, princess." Ty Lee smiled wide.

Azula rubbed her shoulder and fought her emerging happy expression.

She remained indifferent as she followed Ty Lee to her—their—room.


	33. Chapter 33

_DRESS-UP_

* * *

They played dress-up today. It was the one game Ty Lee liked best and Azula did not mind it. The princess never did her own make-up or clothes, and, while the servants were more talented than Ty Lee, Azula inexplicably liked the touch of her best friend much more than their rough hands.

It made her heart flutter to have Ty Lee pick out outfits from Azula's gorgeous collection and smile as she would say, "I'm just making you even more beautiful. You're already the beautifullest person I know and you really would even look so beautiful without clothes and…"

Ty Lee did not say that. _No_ , she did _not_. She blushed and was grateful that Azula ignored the statement.

That was a close call.


	34. Chapter 34

_BLIZZARD_

* * *

In the mountains, Azula and Ty Lee experience snow for the first time.

They also experience their first blizzard.

As they wait for it to pass, Azula tells stories. Ty Lee listens and thinks she falls in love as Azula speaks. It has nothing to do with love, but wrapped in blankets and listening to wild and dark tales is the most romantic experience of the night.

It ends when Azula's nanny knocks on the door and begs the princess to go to sleep.

Ty Lee lies beside her and the subjects of the stories still dance in her head for hours as the snow dances in the sky.


	35. Chapter 35

_DAWN_

* * *

"I'm sleepy," said Ty Lee, rubbing her big eyes. "Why do you wake up so early?"

Azula glared. Ty Lee did not know why; she was just asking a question. Still, she always hoped Azula would always love her and she would never say or do anything that would ever upset the princess. They had a bond that was something even more powerful than ordinary friendship, Ty Lee thought.

"I _offered_ to watch the sunrise with you. I can leave you here if you want," Azula stated, her knuckles on her hips.

Ty Lee shook her head. "I wanna see the sunrise."

Azula nodded for Ty Lee to follow.


	36. Chapter 36

_FAMILY MATTERS_

* * *

"Do you want a family?" Ty Lee asked, running her hand over the smooth stone in the courtyard. It was a sunny day and she and Azula went outside.

"I have a family," replied Azula, looking at Ty Lee like she is stupid.

"I mean marrying someone and having kids and living happily ever after," said Ty Lee, cautiously setting her hand down on Azula's palm. Her skin was smooth and she did not push Ty Lee away from her. The sun had her in a good mood without much wickedness.

"Given the importance of my bloodline and Zuko's recent banishment, I think I am obliged to have children," Azula said. She removed her attention from the bright blue sky and focused it on her best friend. Ty Lee's heart pounded in that weird way it always did when Azula looked at her.

"Will you get married?" Ty Lee asked.

"Maybe," Azula said.

"To somebody you fell in love with?" Ty Lee pressed, trying not to be afraid.

"I do not believe in love," Azula replied so quickly she almost betrayed her arrogant persona.

Ty Lee asked, "You don't believe in love or you don't believe you'll fall in love?"

"The second one," Azula said

"Well, I love you," Ty Lee said, smiling. The sun made her braid glisten and Azula's golden eyes shimmer like precious metal. Ty Lee posed her next comment as a joke. "You could always marry me. I think I'd be a good Fire Lady."

Azula looked away when she smirked, so Ty Lee could not see her happiness.

"Maybe, maybe not. I think you would have to become Fire Lady to prove that to me," Azula purred. Ty Lee leaned in and kissed her.

They would be a good family.


	37. Chapter 37

_Summer Daze_

* * *

"I love summer. Don't you love summer?" Ty Lee declared, looking to Azula with twinkling, happy eyes. The princess did not respond favorably.

"You love every season," Azula said, which puzzled Ty Lee.

"Is-is-is—can you only love one?" Ty Lee inquired, horrified. Azula was quite satisfied by that.

"Yes. Only one," Azula stated in a tone far more frightening and royal than her grandfather's.

"Uh—summer! I love summer most because people fall in love in summer!" Ty Lee decided.

"But in winter you can cuddle by the fire," said Azula, before setting her hand over her mouth.

"You're right. I love whatever season you love," Ty Lee replied, trying to hide her excitement about Azula admitting something romantic.

She hugged her best friend.

Azula did not hug her back, but enjoyed it.


	38. Chapter 38

**POUTING**

"I wanna go to Azula's house," whined Ty Lee, pouting on her doorstep.

"You're staying home and that's final," her mother scolded, crossing her arms to show that she was dead serious.

"I. Want. To. Go. To. Azula's. House!" Ty Lee wailed, and her pouting intensified.

"Why is it so important to you?" demanded her mother. "You need to be with family right now. Why would you rather be with her?"

"Because one day she'll be my family!" Ty Lee exclaimed, glowering up at her mother.

"What's that supposed to mean?" her mother asked.

"I wanna marry her one day," whispered Ty Lee, tugging on her own braid. Her heart jumps and flutters when her mother looks down at her, bewildered.

"Well, I don't think you will be marrying her this afternoon, so get inside of the house," her mother stated, and Ty Lee gave a small smile.

She wanted to keep expressing her anger about being denied her request to visit her crush, but she supposed she would have an eternity with Princess Azula.


	39. Chapter 39

**PRETTY GIRL**

Ten year old Ty Lee could not stop blushing. She didn't know why. Whenever Azula talked or moved or her hair flounced.

It baffled her. How her heart fluttered and she was at a loss for breath as they wandered in a daze through their summer together. Together. To get her.

"It's because she's a pretty girl," Ty Lee told the mirror. "I want to be her. I'm embarrassed that I'm not her."

But she knew she wanted to be together with the pretty girl. She wanted to get her.

Together. To get her. Together.

"I love you," blurted out Ty Lee one day. "I mean, I mean I love that you're so pretty, princess."

Azula just smirked, a child acclimated to constant compliments.

Ty Lee thought she may faint.


End file.
